"...there is an obvious change going on and the seemingly endless wait for Marvel to crossover onto the Vinylmation canvas is nearing an actual end."

If you've been following our site, you know that the integration of Marvel and Star Wars into the Disney brand has been of great interest to us. Whether it was the rationale behind the cancellation of Star Wars: 1313, the introduction of trace amounts of the licenses via Droid Factory or Marvel toys, or most recently, the inclusion of a Hall of Armor in Disneyland, we've been watching the merge closely. Being fans of all three brands, the mind swims with the potential for the future of each.

Although Disney has moved slowly in their moves with each property, there is an obvious change going on and the seemingly endless wait for Marvel to crossover onto the Vinylmation canvas is nearing an actual end. Prior to Disney acquiring the Star Wars brand, they had already produced a number of Star Wars Vinylmations. The cross-appeal re-invigorated the hobby and brought in collectors that had never considered the hobby. Stories abound of Vinylmation hobbyists that started with a couple Star Wars blind boxes and moved onto Park, Animation, Villains and other lines of the small figures. With that in mind, it's been thought to be only a matter of time until the very large stable of Marvel heroes and villains would join the medium.

Although some purists will balk at their Spider-Man wearing Mickey ears, it is undeniable that the move will provide a boost to the Vinylmation hobby and provide many Marvel collectors with something fun and to burden their wallets. For the same reason that it seems inevitable for Disney to boost the Marvel and Star Wars presence at D23 Expo, it seems equally inevitable that Disney will mine the Marvel license and put as many Mickey ears on the characters as possible. Deadpool Mickey, anyone?